Other notable Qing dynasty Neo-Confucians include Li Guangdi 李光地 (1642-1718), Hui Dong 惠棟 (1697-1758), and the philosophical historian Zhang Xuecheng 章學誠 (1738-1801). Three of the most influential Qing dynasty Neo-Confucians were active in both the late Ming and early Qing, and thus of ambiguous classification. These are the political reformers Huang Zongxi 黃宗羲 (1610-1695) and Gu Yanwu 顧炎武 (1613-1682) and the systematic philosopher Wang Fuzhi 王夫之 (1619-1692). (Note that Philpapers.org lists Wang Fuzhi under Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism.)

Key works

Huang Zongxi's major works are Waiting for the Dawn (Mingyi daifang lu 明夷待訪錄), which is translated by Wm Theodore de Bary (Columbia University Press, 1993) and The Records of the Ming Scholars (Mingru xue'an 明儒學案), translated in Julia Ching and Chaoying Fang's book of the same name (University of Hawaii Press, 1987). Philip J. Ivanhoe translates several of Zhang Xuecheng's writings in On Ethics and History: Essays and Letters of Zhang Xuecheng (Stanford University Press, 2009).

This book explains the general intellectual climate of the early Ch'ing period, and the political and cultural characteristics of the Ch'ing regime at the time. Professor Huang brings to life the book's central characters, Li Fu and the three great emperors - K'ang-hsi, Yung-cheng, and Chien-lung - whom he served. Although the author's main concern is to explain the contributions of Li Fu to the Lu-Wang school of Confucianism, he also gives a clearly written account of the Lu-Wang and Ch'eng-Chu (...) schools from the twelfth century to the eighteenth. In a clear, succinct style, Huang explains the historical differences between the Ch'eng-Chu and Lu-Wang schools without sacrificing the subtleties of either. The book culminates in a discussion of the hero-emperor K'ang-hsi's appropriation of the 'Tradition of the Way' from his intellectual officials, which denied them their traditional role as moral censors and critics of the emperor's exercise of authority. (shrink)

This article explores some of the ways in which historical writings can play a substantial role in the development of ethical sensibilities and makes the more general point that since human beings are unique in understanding themselves as historical beings and value how they and others appear in historical perspective, an understanding and sense of history must play a role in an adequate account of ethics. The main focus of the article is a description and analysis of the views of (...) the Chinese philosopher Zhang Xuecheng ç« å­¸èª . After presenting an account of Zhangâs ideas concerning the relationship between history and ethics, I argue that versions of Zhangâs central claims still have the potential to make significant contributions to contemporary philosophy. (shrink)

This essay offers an attempt at a cross-cultural inquiry into cross-cultural inquiry by examining how one influential Chinese reformer, Tan Sitong (1865–1898), thought creatively about the possibilities of learning from differently situated societies. That is to say, rather than focusing on developing either Tan’s substantive ideas or elaborating a methodology for how such an approach might proceed, I mine his work for the methodological lessons it offers. I hope to offer both argument and example for the possibility not only that (...) culturally distinct ways of life can inform each other, but that such influence can include learning theoretical and practical means by which such engagement may be carried out. This .. (shrink)

Every philosophical mode has a unique conceptual system. Qi has consistently been a fundamental part of ancient Chinese philosophy, and its significance is obvious. Guided by the idea of re-evaluating all values, Yan Fu, who was deeply influenced by Western philosophy and logic, used reverse analogical interpretation to present a new explanation of the traditional Chinese concept of qi. Qi thus evolved into basic physical particles. Yan’s philosophical effort has great significance: The logical ambiguity that had haunted qi was overcome. (...) However, qi gradually evolved into a particular existence as it was Westernized. It completely lost its internal flavor as indigenous Chinese philosophy. Its previous philosophical abstraction and universality diminished and at the same time it was not Westernized into the pure concept of Hegel’s philosophy. (shrink)